On Wednesday, more than 100 city leaders from across Greater Minnesota traveled to St. Paul for the CGMC’s annual “day at the Capitol” lobbying event. Thank you to everyone who joined us! We were excited to see everyone back in-person this year.

The day kicked off with a welcome from CGMC President and Luverne Mayor Pat Baustian, followed by a redistricting analysis presentation from CGMC Policy Analyst Ania McDonnell and CGMC Executive Director Bradley Peterson. If you missed it or would like another look, you can review their slides here or watch their full presentation here.

After, attendees were given a legislative update and in-depth explanations of our top issues (local government aid, water infrastructure, annexation and land use, housing, child care, and the Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program) by CGMC staff. The full presentation can be reviewed here or watched here. 

We were excited to have several distinguished guests address our membership. While Governor Tim Walz had originally committed to speak, he was forced to change his plans when invited to meet with President Biden on Wednesday. In his place, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Steve Grove spoke to members about the statewide workforce shortage in the aftermath of the pandemic. While it is a moment of great challenge for businesses and the state, he shared his optimism that the surplus will be able to fund historic levels of economic development. He also emphasized the importance of investing in broadband, small business growth, youth workforce training, and recruitment programs.

After lunch, there was a legislative panel discussion featuring Senate Deputy Majority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks), Senate Minority Leader Melisa Lopez Franzen (DFL-Edina), House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), and Representative Chris Swedzinski (R-Ghent). 

The legislators all shared their excitement to see the group together and in-person in Saint Paul. There was disagreement on how to address the $9.3 billion surplus, as Senator Johnson and Representative Swedzinski called for sweeping statewide tax relief and Senator Lopez Franzen and Speaker Hortman weary of making long-term changes with a temporary surplus. Among the four, there was general support for a bonding bill but differing opinions on how large it should be. 

Following the panel, CGMC members spent the rest of the afternoon meeting with their legislators and talking about the issues most important to Greater Minnesota communities. The lobbying handouts given to CGMC members and shared with legislators can be found here.

As is CGMC tradition, the day was capped off with a legislative reception and dinner at Mancini’s Char House, where a bipartisan mix of more than 40 legislators representing both rural and urban districts mingled with CGMC members over a meal of steak or walleye.